Alex and I have always called Julian Tavarez “Pizza Face”. This seems unwarrantedly cruel to someone who has not (yet) violated the Lockhart Line. So I need to rename him with something along those lines but perhaps a little more subtle. So far, the best I can do is “Papa Julian”, but I’m sure you guys can do better.
BONUS PICTURE DEDICATED TO BRENT LILLIBRIDGE!
Bat Boy!
Mac,
You might have to lay off Francoeur just so we can tell the game threads apart.
Okay, maybe after the break I’ll go from videos that have “Cry” in the title to those that have “Tears” in the title.
Well, if Francoeur is the Human Out Machine (as he is), maybe Julian could be the Human Run Machine (or something to that effect). That’s quite a mouthful, though.
How about the “Red Baron”?
Phillies are losing…so we won’t lose anymore ground. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really matter.
The Phillies have given up 10 runs…I bet the Braves can top that.
New poll.
Hmm… A thunderstorm. I’m on my desktop computer (DON’T ASK WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LAPTOP) and I don’t like to run it during storms.
Hey Mac-
What happened to the laptop?
snicker, snicker
If anyone’s interested, the Rangers are playing the White Sox on WGN, and the Rangers’ battery is Millwood and Saltalamacchia.
I bet Mac’s laptop is a Francouer fan
My old laptop (that my wife used) was acting up recently. We planned to replace it with an actual desktop within a year or so. Then she accidentally spilled water on it. Riiiight. Accident. Now we have a new (to us) desktop.
Go Braves!
Are the Mets really that much better than the Braves? Somehow, they’ve won 8 straight and find themselves a half game back from the Phillies. I feel like they’re roster is filled with as many holes as the next crappy NL East team.
Did their in-season management change really work these wonders?
I’m really, really down and confused. What’s up with the ’08 Braves?
#13
Age, injuries, lack of talent, and a top heavy roster construction with some stars but too many below average players, some of which would be below average in AA ball.
Mac’s point a few days ago, its the worst half of our roster that’s killing us, not the top 1/2. We have several guys that wouldn’t be on many other MLB rosters.
A team is more than the sum of its parts… The Braves are missing something. I really don’t feel that this roster is THIS bad…
Maybe I am wrong.
Wait Jose Reyes has more HR than our rightfielder? About the Mets being better tham the Braves…
Well unlike the Braves they do have an outfielder who is actually a major leaguer.
Injuries will affect any team… and they’ve really hurt. Then there’s some lack of execution (as Chipper mentioned last week) with fundamentals and getting timely hits. Add in even a small amount of bad luck and it’s just not going well.
All teams have injuries…look at the Mets.
Poor Ryan Church, hasn’t been the same since the Escobar collision.
Pedro Martinez is basically glass
Moises Alou torn hamstring
Luis Castillo is hurting
Carlos Delgado is hurting
So you are exactly right “injuries will affect any team”
vintage Maddux in the 1st.
Tony, Jose Reyes has 10, the starting outfield tonight has a combined 14 on the year. Yes, I would say that qualifies as a problem.
“vintage Maddux in the 1st”
Or you could say vintage Braves in the 1st
could resop shut us out?
You could, but both Blanco and KJ’s K’s were called strike 3, two-seamers on the inside corner…his signature pitch.
Then he feeds Chipper crumbs and gets him to hit a soft grounder to the third baseman…
that’s vintage Maddux no matter how you look at it.
Good job by Morton, and a nice play by Lil. trying to be optimistic here…
A lead!
a what?
A l33d!
You have got to be kidding me. Greatest pitcher of our time.
Ah, there are the Braves I know and love.
Yeah, swing at every pitch and not make the pitcher that was just on first and STOLE A BASE work a little bit. Morons.
Maddoux is still great and he is one of current my favorites.
whew–thank goodness Petco is a big park
Back to Mac’s original question, one of those indelible memories of ’95 was seeing Tavarez sitting in the Cle dugout crying after game 6. Gives me a warm fuzzy seeing him again, but I don’t expect to see him for long, least, not long enough to give him a nickname.
‘Bridge almost took one in the face there. Scary.
I missed that Maddux stole an f-ing base on us. Even if it meant NO difference in our chance to win this year I wish we could’ve had him back just for old times’ sake. I forget how much I enjoyed watching the old man play.
You know Maddux just stole that base to talk shit to Smoltzie and Glavine, good ol Mad Dog. You know if one of them were pitching he would have asked for the ball, too.
Simpson:”Greg has never held runners well”
… He’s Greg F-ing Maddux! He doesn’t HAVE to hold runners… for much of his career he wasn’t letting anybody on BASE.
Loaded up for Frenchy…
oh yeah jj… you can just assume those three are going out tomorrow and Maddux will be giving them BOTH hell about it (assuming Smoltz is even on the trip).
OH MY GOD
FRENCHY!
man, he needed that one…
Did Francoeur just get a hit while the bases were loaded?
Well I never…
‘Bout time.
One rotten apple still sucks.
Seriously, it’s probably insignificant in the grand scheme of things, both for the team and for Frenchy, but that was a GREAT inning for the team.
Stringing together some two-out hits and walks on the road, late in a close game…Frenchy coming through with the bases loaded…basically everything we haven’t been doing well lately.
Hopefully this will give us a little bit of our swagger back. Or at the very least a win tonight!
LET’S GO BRAVES!
Morton looked decent. Seems like his problem was in his release. It cost him some strikes. Gerut’s double was placed just so. Not hard hit. Kind of lucky.
Geez – another 4 pitch inning for Maddux.
@46 I know, that makes me crazy.
I gaht sawdust runnin’ through mah veins.
I have a bad feeling that Bobby’s going to bring in Tavarez in the 8th. I have no reason to think he will, yet, it’s just a hunch.
@48 and im his son!
This is meee simulating pain.
Well I’m off, I entrust with this high powered Padres offense, the Braves can’t even find a way to give up a three run homer to extend the streak. Anyway, it probably didn’t matter how Morton pitched tonight, he’s probably not going to have a rotation spot much longer. I for one, would much rather see him pitch the rest of the season in the rotation than Glavine, sentimental reasons aside. I would mention the guy that should be playing left field, but we all know he’s not going to pitch again.
Great to see Chipper returning to form!
Also, if someday somebody could explain to me why managers pull a reliever after they get a couple of outs after only three or four pitches, I really would like to know. So, you’re going to warm a guy up for 15-20 pitches in the bullpen, bring him in for 4 pitches, he’s effective and then bring in somebody else. I know Ohman’s left handed, and this wasn’t one of the more egregious examples of this that I have seen recently, but it’s just idiotic. This is a prime reason why relievers are so fungible.
Moment of truth…
McCann is intentionally walked to bring up the F-Bomb…
and he does exactly what we expected him to…
Great outing by Boyer.
Great fastball tonight.
Wow, Boyer.
49–no he’s saving Tavarez for the 9th 🙂
Speaking of candidates for the starting rotation, Chucky James went 6 IP in Richmond, giving up 2 hits, a run, a walk and 10 Ks.
the batboy goes yard!!!
😯
awesome.
Go Bat Boy!
The Mets are actually playing good baseball right now. Well, we win tonight! Go Braves!!
no more runs, please.
I need a save out of Gonzo for fantasy league.
nice game for Lillibridge
that’s all for me tonight
Gonzo makes it look easy again.
aaaand the Braves win!
wow, just got home from work, did not expect to see Lilly as the hero. Good for him, increase your trade value
I’ll say this for Batboy: he seems to be playing solid defense at shortstop.
Mac, I don’t suppose you’d take Andruw Jones back, would you? He had five strikeouts in tonight’s game, after four on the 4th of July. His act’s getting tiresome.
Wow, what a day for me and baseball. The Braves win, Francoeur evening coming through for us, Lillibridge goes yard, and the pitching looks good. On the fantasy baseball front, after going 180 ABs this week without going yard, my team busts out SIX home runs, hits .417 and goes from being 2-10 to 5-7 in this weeks’ head-to-head match up. And of course, Gonzalez picked up the same for me today, so that’s a double bonus. Not that any of you care about my fantasy team, but I’m starting to enjoy it. Sue me. 🙂
Recap/game thread is up.